NORTH SHORE, Oahu, Hawaii (Friday, January 25, 2013) – The 2013 ASP World Tour officially begins anew on Sunday, on the very same stretch of surf and sand that the 2012 World Tour wrapped up on six weeks ago: the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

The $130,000 VOLCOM PIPE PRO – a 5-star rated event that will run on the four best days of surf from January 27-February 7, represents the beginning of the 2013 campaign trail for surfers aspiring to the sport’s elite ranks. It will also award eight local surfers with coveted spots in the season-ending Pipe Masters. Equally revered and feared, the Banzai Pipeline is the ultimate make-or-break location in the world of surfing, for careers, bodies, and surfboards.

The VOLCOM PIPE PRO is unique in that it draws the most diversified set of surfers on the planet, like world title campaigner, multi-million dollar man and defending event champion John John Florence (HI); globe-trotting big wave hunters like Alex Gray (CA) and Ian Walsh (HI); junior under-21 pro’s Parker Coffin (CA), Ezekiel Lau (HI) and Keanu Asing (HI); proven Pipeline masters like Jamie O’Brien (HI) and Bruce Irons (HI); and second generation surfing greats like Mason Ho (HI), Kaimana Jaquias (HI), and Ian Gouveia (Brazil).

The surf forecast for the event period is very promising. Surfline.com, the official forecaster for the VOLCOM PIPE PRO, sees back-to-back and progressively larger WNW and NW swells moving in over the first couple of days of the waiting period, with another good pulse of WNW swell late next week.

In line with Volcom’s New Future commitment, the event will again run according to the green guidelines that SustainableSurf.org and ASP North America have partnered on to help reduce the environmental impact of all contests. This will be Volcom’s second deep blue surfing event™ and in line with the guidelines, waste, energy, community support, climate change and transportation will be target categories for sustainability initiatives. More will be available on the ‘New Future’ tab above.